Samsung’s official press event in Hong Kong to debut the Nexus Prime smartphone isn’t until Wednesday morning, but a Japanese carrier appears to have shared details of the phone on Tuesday. NTT DoCoMo has reportedly shown a picture of the phone, called the Galaxy Nexus in the photo, and full specifications, along with a Nov. 20 availability date in Japan.

The hardware listing, which comes from a translated web page at the Blog of Mobile via Android Central, lines up with the leaked specifications seen earlier this month:

• Dimensions: 136.0 mm × 68.0 mm × 8.8 to 11.5 mm
• Weight: Approximately 135 grams
• Android Ice Cream Sandwich
• Texas Instruments OMAP4460 CPU; ARM Cortex-A9 MP Core SMP (Dual-Core); CPU operating frequency: 1.2 GHz
• GPU: Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX 540
• Network support (varies by carrier): W-CDMA; GSM; LTE, CDMA2000; HSPA; EDGE, GPRS; LTE; EV-DO
• Display: AMOLED HD: 4.65 inches with 1280×720 resolution
• Main camera: 5 megapixels with LED flash; 1080p video capture
• Front camera: 1.3 megapixels
• GPS; NFC, Bluetooth 3.0 + HS; 802.11 a/b/g/n; Wi-Fi Direct
• Memory: 1 GB of RAM; 16/32 GB of storage
• Battery Capacity: 1750mAh
• Notification LED

In less than 12 hours, we’ll know for sure how accurate these specifications are, but there’s little here that I’d question. Given that quad-core chips were expected to power some smartphones by the end of the year, I had thought the next Nexus might be the first to use them, but that seems unlikely at this point: Samsung has no such chip ready, although is reportedly in talks with Apple to supply one for the next iPhone, per Korea Times. Regardless, a dual-core chip should be plenty to power Ice Cream Sandwich, which consolidates Google’s platform for smartphones and tablets.

The only two issues I see with the list are the camera sensor and no mention of microSD expansion. But Android enthusiasts that want the latest and greatest software — along with updates directly from Google — may be willing to overlook those small shortcomings. Besides, the 4.65-inch, 1280×720 resolution display works out to 316 pixels per inch, rivaling the crisp and clear Retina Display used on Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch handsets.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Mobile Q2: Smartphone growth surges; iPad’s rule continues
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Not content with offering up merely modular Android tablets, ASUS has revealed a new seven-inch tablet that’s water and dust resistant — perfect for a spot of bath-time browsing or… desert rallying. The ASUS TOUGH-ETBW11AA has rubberized bezel and strips across the back, contributing to the substantial 22.2mm profile, but that hefty frame can survive drops from the heady height of 76cm. Aside from its tough-guy credentials, there’s a 1280 x 800 screen, five megapixel camera, Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz processor, WiMAX connection and the staple WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS medley. It comes with 16GB of well-protected storage, but there’s room for more via microSD. For those seeking a slate that’ll survive the bumps and scrapes of the business world — and not look ridiculous — it’ll be available to enterprise customers of Japanese carrier KDDI this November. No news yet on whether it’ll canoe its way across from the Land of the Rising Sun, but we can give you a few more photos of the rough and tumble tablet after the break.

[Image credit: Keitai Watch]

Continue reading ASUS TOUGH 7-inch Honeycomb tablet lands in Japan ready for some corporate abuse

ASUS TOUGH 7-inch Honeycomb tablet lands in Japan ready for some corporate abuse originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sick of your friends saying you look fat in those jeans? Apparently, NTT DoCoMo feels your pain and aims to swap out the peer criticism with smartphone objectivity. Shown off in advance of CEATEC Japan 2011 (an annual electronics trade show), the operator took the wraps off several mobile-based accessories, ranging from gamma ray and UV light monitoring phone cases to a breathalyzer-like add-on for measuring body fat (you paying attention, HTC Rhyme?). There were also a couple of applications on hand for checking photos of food against a calorie database à la Google Goggles, and an AR implementation for weather services on tablets. It’s not clear whether the Japanese carrier actually intends to release these innovations to the mass-consuming public, but as with all things tech in that corner of the world, they’re sure to get it before we ever do. Jump past the break for a video peek at Nippon’s creep towards a Hitchhiker Guide-style wireless world.

Continue reading NTT DoCoMo’s mobile accessories smell your breath, tell you to put the burger down (video)

NTT DoCoMo’s mobile accessories smell your breath, tell you to put the burger down (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Touch Wood mockup (top) and prototype based on the SH-04A model (bottom).

(Credit: NTT DoCoMo)

If you don’t think plastic is fantastic, here’s some good news: Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has created a new prototype cell phone made from cypress wood.

The Touch Wood handset is crafted …

According to survey of 2,300 Japanese retail stores, the iPhone was #1 in customer popularity, beating out all of those crazy, wonky phones they sell in Tokyo with names like the WonderFetus 100 Softbank X200-900 and the Brad Pitt Special Edition E900 from Sanyo with built-in TV tuner, can-opener, and fishing lures.

Smartphone sales are growing in Japan and customers like the 8 and 16GB 3G models and Apple has sold 1 million iPhones through Softbank, a major Japanese carrier.

The BlackBerry Bold came in third and the rest of the list were phones by HTC.